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Showing 1 - 20 of 114 items
By Marcia Willett. 2021
'We'll always be together, won't we?'Childhood friends and cousins Leo and Alice had imagined their whole lives playing out on…
their beloved Devon beach. But one night when they are teens, sitting on the sand beneath the stars, Alice tells Leo a secret that must never be shared with anybody else . . . then packs her bag and flees.Leo is left to build his own life - without Alice. He surrounds himself with other family and friends and on the whole is content and fulfilled. But he is left with a sense of what - or who - is missing. So decades later, when he receives a note from Alice asking if she can come home, he doesn't hesitate to agree.But as the stars align and their reunion draws near, Leo is left to consider their separation and what so many years apart means for a relationship solidified in youth and a secret which could affect the whole family.Praise for Marcia Willett:'A warm and engaging read.' Trisha Ashley, bestselling author of The Garden of Forgotten Wishes'A beautifully woven tale of families and their secrets...' Liz Fenwick, bestselling author of The Cornish House'Riveting, moving and utterly feel-good.' Daily Mail'Sweeping powers of description transport her readers to another time and place.' Rosanna Ley, author of The Orange GroveReaders love Starry, Starry Night:'Perfect comfort reading' *****'A very absorbing tale with lovely descriptions of the West Country' *****'Like meeting an old friend' ******** Don't miss Marcia's charming, festive novella, Christmas at the Keep - out now! ***By Hans Christian Andersen and Angela Carter. 2004
The perfect gift this Christmas season: a generous selection of some of the greatest festive stories of all timeThis is…
a collection of the most magical, moving, chilling and surprising Christmas stories from around the world, taking us from frozen Nordic woods to glittering Paris, a New York speakeasy to an English country house, bustling Lagos to midnight mass in Rio, and even outer space. Here are classic tales from writers including Truman Capote, Shirley Jackson, Dylan Thomas, Saki and Chekhov, as well as little-known treasures such as Italo Calvino's wry sideways look at Christmas consumerism, Wolfdietrich Schnurre's story of festive ingenuity in Berlin, Selma Lagerlof's enchanted forest in Sweden, and Irène Nemerovsky's dark family portrait. Featuring santas, ghosts, trolls, unexpected guests, curmudgeons and miracles, here is Christmas as imagined by some of the greatest short story writers of all time.By Various. 2009
A stunning new collection of short stories about motherhood, selected and introduced by Candice Brathwaite.______________'To describe my mother would be…
to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colours of a rainbow' MAYA ANGELOUThe story of motherhood is an endlessly rich one: it's one of love - and all the highs and lows that come with that world-turning emotion - and, in the purest sense, of life itself. Within these pages, some of the finest writers in the world explore motherhood in wildly varying modes, from single parenthood to sisters coparenting, from the deepest hardships to the biggest celebrations.Selected and introduced by Candice Brathwaite, author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother.Stories by Lydia Davis, Anita Desai, Mary Gaitskill, Tessa Hadley, Jamaica Kincaid, Toni Morrison, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Irenosen Okojie, Casey Plett, Tabitha Siklos, Helen Simpson, Ali SmithBy Tobias Wolff. 1984
The Barracks Thief is the story of three young paratroopers waiting to be shipped out to Vietnam. Brought together one…
sweltering afternoon to stand guard over an ammunition dump threatened by a forest fire, they discover in each other an unexpected capacity for recklessness and violence. Far from being alarmed by this discovery, they are exhilarated by it; they emerge from their common danger full of confidence in their own manhood and in the bond of friendship they have formed.This confidence is shaken when a series of thefts occur. The author embraces the perspectives of both the betrayer and the betrayed, forcing us to participate in lives that we might otherwise condemn, and to recognize the kinship of those lives to our own.By Megan Rogers. 2023
Layla Byrnes is exhausted. She's juggling a demanding job as an anaesthetist, a disintegrating marriage, her young kids, and a…
needy lover. And most particularly she's managing her histrionically unstable mother, who repeatedly threatens to kill herself. But this year, it's different. When her mother rings just before Christmas, she doesn't follow the usual script. Instead, she tells Layla that there's something she needs to tell her about her much-loved father. In response, Layla drops everything to rush to her childhood home on the wild west coast of Tasmania. She's determined to finally confront her mother - and find out what really happened to her father - and lay some demons to rest.By Funso Aiyejina. 2021
The latest release from Caribbean publisher Peekash Press celebrates some of the major new voices in Anglophone Caribbean literature. Difficult…
parents and lost children, unfaithful spouses and spectral lovers, mysterious ancestors and fierce bloodlines--the stories, poems, and memoirs in this new anthology tackle everything that’s most complicated and thrilling about family and history in the Caribbean. Collecting new writing by finalists for the Hollick Arvon Caribbean Writers Prize, a groundbreaking award administered by the Bocas Lit Fest, Thicker Than Water shows us how a new generation of Caribbean authors address perennial questions of love, betrayal, and memory in small places where personal and collective histories are often troublingly intertwined. From the Introduction by Funso Aiyejina: "Thicker Than Water confirms that the Caribbean is blessed with quietly penetrating, effortlessly urbane, and socially committed prose writers; environmentally passionate and historically anchored creative nonfiction writers; and thematically courageous and stylistically daring poets who manipulate language to create poetry that is daring, engaging, fluent, and confident. These are writers who are emotionally complex and critically engaged. They are the heirs to a multistoried and multifaceted Caribbean literary tradition that is as multichromatic and multilayered as its complicated history. These writers boldly engage with a Caribbean that is not constrained by its clichéd images of sea, sun, and sand. They are products of their history but they are not hog-tied by it. Here are writers who see what many do not see and dare to speak what many fear to think.” Featuring brand-new writing from: Lisa Allen-Agostini, Nicolette Bethel, Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné, Vashti Bowlah, Richard Georges, Zahra Gordon, Barbara Jenkins, Lelawatee Manoo-Rahming, Ira Mathur, Diana McCaulay, Sharon Millar, Monica Minott, Philip Nanton, Xavier Navarro Aquino, Shivanee Ramlochan, Judy Raymond, Hazel Simmons-McDonald, Lynn Sweeting, and Peta-Gaye V. Williams.By Louise Allen. 2019
Once secluded in her father’s castle, a young lady is finally ready for society as a marriage of convenience leads…
to true passion in this Regency romance.Cloistered away in a castle since birth, Madelyn Aylmer is unfamiliar with the ways of Regency London. But now she must venture out into the world and fulfill her eccentric father’s dying request: that she wed nobleman Jack Ransome! Though Jack may have a title, the fortune that once came with it was lost long ago. Now, to regain his ancestral lands, he agrees to a marry Madelyn and vows to introduce her to society. But what Madelyn hadn’t expected was the way her body reacts to Jack, especially to his promise of a union filled with unbridled passion!By Lydia Kwa, Sheung-King, Eddy Tan, Bingji Ye, Ellen Chang-Richardson, Isabella Wang, Yilin Wang, Sam Cheuk, Anna Kaye. 2023
By Robbie Arnott. 2022
Ned West dreams of sailing across the river on a boat of his very own. To Ned, a boat means…
freedom - the fresh open water, squid-rich reefs, fires on private beaches - a far cry from life on Limberlost, the family farm, where his father worries and grieves for Ned's older brothers. They're away fighting in a ruthless and distant war, becoming men on the battlefield, while Ned - too young to enlist - roams the land in search of rabbits to shoot, selling their pelts to fund his secret boat ambitions. But as the seasons pass and Ned grows up, real life gets in the way. Ned falls for Callie, the tough, capable sister of his best friend, and together they learn the lessons of love, loss, and hardship. When a storm decimates the Limberlost crop and shakes the orchard's future, Ned must decide what to protect: his childhood dreams, or the people and the land that surround him...By Ann Patchett. 2019
Danny Conroy grows up in the Dutch House, a lavish mansion. Though his father is distant and his mother is…
absent, Danny has his beloved sister Maeve: Maeve, with her wall of black hair, her wit, her brilliance. Life is coherent, played out under the watchful eyes of the house's former owners in the frames of their oil paintings. Then one day their father brings Andrea home. Though they cannot know it, her arrival to the Dutch House sows the seed of the defining loss of Danny and Maeve's lives. The siblings are drawn back time and again to the place they can never enter, knocking in vain on the locked door of the past. For behind the mystery of their own exile is that of their mother's: an absence more powerful than any presence they have known.By Elmore Leonard. 2007
Federal marshal Carl Webster, from Hot Kid (DB 60336, BR 16125), travels to Detroit in 1944 to search for escaped…
German POWs. Webster interviews beautiful Honey Deal, the divorced wife of Nazi meatcutter Walter Schoen, and investigates Ukrainian spy Vera Mezwa. Strong language and some violence. 2007From rags to riches By the earl’s side! Abandoned as a small child, Annabelle Smith has only vague memories of…
her past. Now living as a healer in London’s poverty-stricken East End, she receives a life-changing visit from the rich and imposing Lytton Staines, Earl of Thornton. He needs a cure for his ailing sister and helping him thrusts Belle into his dazzling life of luxury. But it’s Lytton who makes her world come alive! Gentlemen of Honor miniseries Book 1 — A Night of Secret Surrender Book 2 — A Proposition for the Comte Book 3 — The Cinderella Countess “Sophia James again delivers a truly wonderful love story filled with adventure and surprising twists”—Goodreads on A Night of Secret Surrender “A full-throttle ‘noir Regency’, this is the sort of read I hope for when Harley advertises a broken heroine, a dark hero, and a perilous romance”—Goodreads on A Proposition for the ComteBy Christine Merrill. 2018
If the truth comes out… …there will be scandal! In this Those Scandalous Stricklands story, Hope Strickland must find the…
lost items of her family’s estate. Mysterious Gregory Drake, expert at fixing the problems of the aristocracy, is hired to help. As they embark on the search, Hope finds herself drawn to the handsome stranger. He may not be a gentleman, but Hope’s tempted to put aside her marriage prospects for a forbidden night—in Gregory’s bed! Those Scandalous Stricklands miniseries Book 1 — A Kiss Away From Scandal Look out for the next book, coming soon! “Readers will enjoy the strong characters, swift pace, lively wit and the wickedly fun escapades that stubborn lovers can get into” — RT Book Reviews on “Her Christmas Temptation” in Regency Christmas Wishes “Merrill pens another winner” — RT Book Reviews on The Wedding GameBy L. Frank Baum, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Willa Cather, Mark Twain, O. Henry, Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Saki, Leo Tolstoy, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Algernon Blackwood, Brothers Grimm. 2023
Experience the warmth and wonder of Christmas through the masterful storytelling of some of our greatest literary minds. Sixteen classic…
stories capture the enduring appeal of the Christmas tradition, all wrapped in lore with heartwarming narratives of redemption and humorous tales of everyday life. Selections include “A Christmas Tree” by Charles Dickens, “A Country Christmas” by Louisa May Alcott, “A Kidnapped Santa Claus” by L. Frank Baum, “A Letter from Santa Claus” by Mark Twain, “The Burglar’s Christmas” by Willa Cather, “The Christmas Banquet” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Christmas; or, the Good Fairy” by Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The Elves and the Shoemaker” by the Brothers Grimm, “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, and “Where Love Is, There God Is Also” by Leo Tolstoy.By Hans Christian Andersen, Selma Lagerlöf, Hjalmar Söderberg, Karl Ove Knausgaard, August Strindberg, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Vigdis Hjorth, Jørgen Moe, Ingvar Ambjørnsen, Johan Krohn, Hans Aanrud, O. E. Rölvaag, Zachris Topelius. 2019
A smorgasbord of Christmas stories by writers from Hans Christian Andersen to August Strindberg to Karl Ove Knausgaard. This…
collection brings together the best Scandinavian holiday stories, including classics by Hans Christian Andersen of Denmark; Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf, August Strindberg and Hjalmar Söderberg of Sweden; as well as the popular contemporary Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard. These Nordic tales—coming from the very region where so much of traditional Christmas imagery originates—convey a festive and contemplative spirit laden with lingonberries, elks, gnomes, Sami trolls, candles, church spires, gingerbread, and aquavit in abundance. These unexpected literary gifts are sure to provide plenty of pleasure and hygge, that specifically Scandinavian blend of coziness and contentment.By Heinrich Heine, Rainer Rilke, Hermann Hesse, Thomas Mann, Heinrich Böll, Joseph Roth, Peter Stamm, The Brothers Grimm, Erich Kästner, Martin Suter, Arthur Schnitzler, Kurt Tucholsky, E. Hoffmann, Wolfgang Von Goethe, Ilse Frapan, Helene Stökl, Peter Rosegger, Wolfdietrich Schnurre, Ernst Anschütz. 2020
This collection of new and classic Christmas literature includes stories by Herman Hesse, Joseph Roth, The Brothers Grimm, and many…
others. This collection brings together traditional and contemporary holiday stories from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. You'll find classic works by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich Heine, Rainer Maria Rilke, Thomas Mann and Arthur Schnitzler, as well as more recent tales by writers like Heinrich Böll, Peter Stamm and Martin Suter. It also includes the first published English translation of Joseph Roth&’s story &“Christmas in Cochinchina.&” Enjoy Eine fröhliche Weihnachten―A Merry Christmas―made all the more festive with these literary treats redolent of candle-lit trees, St. Nikolaus, gingerbread, Gugelhopf and stollen cakes, all accompanied by plenty of schnapps.By Bryan Furuness. 2020
Imagine a moonlit railroad track, a rural road and barn covered with just a dusting of snow, a hound dog…
asleep by the woodstove, and a Red Ryder BB gun hidden behind the tinseled tree—all the makings of an unforgettable Indiana Christmas. In An Indiana Christmas, editor Bryan Furuness brings together timeless short stories, poems, plays, and letters to help you get into the holiday spirit. Lose yourself in classics like "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash" by Jean Shepherd, which inspired the beloved movie A Christmas Story, and "A Feel in the Christmas Air" by James Whitcomb Riley, along with more recent literary works like "The Myth of the Perfect Christmas Photo Family" by Kelsey Timmerman and "While Mortals Sleep" by famed Indiana writer Kurt Vonnegut. To achieve the perfect combination of Christmas nostalgia and cheer, Furuness has curated Hoosier stories that allow you to experience an idyllic holiday gathering in "Indiana Winter" by Susan Neville, feel the excitement of a child on Christmas Eve with "Earthbound" by Barbara Shoup, and face the loneliness of a drifter on Christmas night in "Howard Garfield, Balladeer" by Edward Porter. The collection even offers the chance to read a Christmas war dispatch from the late, great Hoosier journalist Ernie Pyle. Heartfelt and unique, An Indiana Christmas paints a picture of what Hoosiers truly hold dear. Family, love, giving, hope, and faith shine through these poignant stories, which are sure to put you in good spirits for the holidays.By Robin Beeman. 1992
A penetrating and satisfying collection of sly but wise stories about passionate people, mostly women, who do not seem satisfied…
with the limits society places on them. A brilliant debut by a writer who knows her people and her territory, from rural Louisiana to the coast of California.By Mary Higgins Clark, Isaac Asimov, Peter Lovesey, Marcia Muller, Aaron Elkins, Bill Pronzini, Sharyn Mccrumb, Howard Engel, Susan Dunlap, Charlotte Macleod, Edward D. Hoch, Eric Wright, John Lutz, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Henry Slesar. 1989
Have yourself a mysterious little Christmas with fifteen whodunits from New York Times-bestselling authors Sharyn McCrumb, Mary Higgins Clark, and…
more! Peace on Earth isn't everyone's cup of tea in Charlotte MacLeod's "A Cozy for Christmas." Peter Lovesey's "The Haunted Crescent" delivers a holiday ghost story with a twist. A training session for department-store Santas turns up Saint Nicks who are anything but angels in Isaac Asimov's "Ho, Ho, Ho." Marcia Muller's "Silent Night" finds a tough private investigator searching San Francisco's Tenderloin district--and discovering something unexpected. A long-married couple's ship finally comes in--only to spring a mysterious leak--in Mary Higgins Clark's "That's the Ticket." Scottish superstition catches up with a cat burglar in Sharyn McCrumb's "A Wee Doch and Doris." These and many more stories will keep you turning pages and gathering evidence of yuletide mayhem. So when holiday shopping brings out your inner Grinch, hunker down with a hot toddy--and leave the murder to the experts.This festive collection includes stories by Charlotte MacLeod, Peter Lovesey, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Eric Wright, John Lutz, Howard Engel, Mary Higgins Clark, Bill Pronzini, Sharyn McCrumb, Henry Slesar, Edward D. Hoch, Aaron Elkins, Susan Dunlap, Isaac Asimov, and Marcia Muller.By Giovanni Boccaccio, Luigi Pirandello, Grazia Deledda, Giovanni Verga, Natalia Ginzburg, Anna Maria Ortese, Camillo Boito, Matilde Serao, Andrea De Carlo. 2018
Classic and contemporary Christmas stories by great writers from Boccaccio to Strega Prize winner Anna Maria Ortese to Nobel laureate…
Grazia Deledda. The third in the very popular Very Christmas series, this volume brings together the best Italian Christmas stories of all time in a vibrant collection featuring classic tales and contemporary works. With writing that dates from the Renaissance to the present day, from Boccaccio to Pirandello, as well as Anna Maria Ortese, Natalia Ginzburg, and Grazia Deledda, these literary gems are filled with ancient churches, trains whistling through the countryside, steaming tureens, plates piled high with pasta, High Mass, dashed hopes, golden crucifixes, flowing wine, shimmering gifts, and plenty of style. Like everything the Italians do, this is Christmas with its very own verve and flair, the perfect literary complement to a Buon Natale italiano. Includes stories by: Luigi Pirandello ·• Camillo Boito • Matilde Serao • Anna Maria Ortese • Andrea De Carlo • Grazia Deledda • Giovanni Verga • Giovanni Boccaccio • Natalia Ginzburg